(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on September 2, 2010.)
Gulf & Ohio Railways Inc. recently reached an agreement to acquire the Lancaster and Chester Railway Co. headquartered in Lancaster, S.C. The sale is expected to be finalized by November pending Surface Transportation approval.
A privately owned short line, the Lancaster and Chester Railway operates more than 60 miles of mainline track in Lancaster and Chester counties. The railroad also operates a full-service shop and passenger-car rebuilding facility, interchanges with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, and owns more than 3,100 acres of industrial property in the region.
“We consider the Lancaster and Chester Railway Co. to be one of the premier short lines in the Southeast,” said Gulf & Ohio Railways Chairman Pete Claussen in a prepared statement.
Gulf & Ohio Railways currently owns seven short lines operating in Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee.